Format Paragraphs

When you create a document template or document the default paragraph styles are already defined, as they are derived directly from the Normal.rtf style template file. Within the document you can edit any of these paragraph styles or apply individual formatting to text blocks as you need.

Each formatting option operates on the current paragraph, or on a highlighted block of text.

Access

Ribbon

Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > [options]

There is also a range of icons in the 'Paragraph' panel of the 'Document-Edit' ribbon, that provide direct access to commonly used paragraph formatting options

Paragraph formatting options

To

Action

See also

Clear all paragraph formatting

Select the 'Paragraph | Normal' menu option.

All paragraph formatting applied to the current paragraph or selected text will be removed.

Center text

Select the 'Paragraph | Center' menu option, or press Alt+8.

Right-justify text

Select the 'Paragraph | Right Justify' menu option, or press Alt+9.

Justify both sides of text

Select the 'Paragraph | Justify Both' menu option.

Double Space

Select the 'Paragraph | Double Space' menu option to put a double line space between paragraphs.

Indent paragraph left

Select the 'Paragraph > Indent Left' menu option, or press Alt+L.

Select the option again to increase the indent.

To reduce or cancel the indent, click on the 'Decrease Indent' icon in the Ribbon.

Indent paragraph right

Select the 'Paragraph | Indent Right' menu option or press Alt+R.

Select the option again to increase the indent.

Create hanging indent

Select the 'Paragraph | Hanging Indent' menu option or press Alt+T.

Select the option again to increase the indent of all lines below the first.

Keep paragraph lines together

Select the 'Paragraph | Keep Together' menu option.

The editor attempts to keep all lines within the paragraph on the same page.

Keep paragraphs together

Select the 'Paragraph | Keep with Next' menu option.

The editor attempts to keep the last line of the current paragraph and the first line of the next paragraph on the same page.

Prevent 'widow' and 'orphan' lines

Select the 'Paragraph | Widow/Orphan Control' menu option.

The editor attempts to avoid having:

the first line of the paragraph on the previous page ('widow' line)

the last line of the paragraph on the next page ('orphan' line)

Start text on new page

Move the cursor to the point at which to start the new page, and select the 'Paragraph | Page Break Before' menu option.

Insert border and shading for text block

Select the 'Paragraph | Border and Shading' menu option.

The 'Paragraph Box Parameters' dialog displays, on which you specify:

Which sides of the box to display (including a line between text lines)

Whether the lines are thick or doubled

The degree of gray shading behind the text

The color of the lines

Define line spacing

Select the 'Paragraph | Paragraph Spacing' menu option.

The 'Paragraph Spacing Parameters' dialog displays, on which you specify the line spacing and the point spacing before and after lines.

Alternatively, to just set double line spacing, select the 'Paragraph | Double Space' menu option.

Set a background color for text space

Select the 'Paragraph | Background Color' menu option.

The 'Color' dialog displays, on which you select the background color.

The editor highlights the full width of the page in that color, for the selected lines.

Create a bulleted list

Select the 'Paragraph | Bullet' menu option.

The editor formats the lines into a simple bullet list.

If you want to indent the list (or a part of it) further, select the 'Paragraph | Increase Level' menu option. If you have increased the indent but now want to decrease it, select the 'Paragraph | Decrease Level' option.

In either case, select the required text flow direction and click on the OK button. The options are:

Left to right

Right to left

Default

The 'Default' action depends on the language setting of the system; for example, if the system language is Hebrew or Chinese, the default text flow is right to left.

Paragraph Marker

Displays or hides the various space markers in the text, such as:

The paragraph marker at the end of each paragraph

The Tab indicators between tabbed blocks of text, and

The blank character marker between words

This option is useful when working with page-formatted text that is structured using both style definitions and key-strokes.

Set the list characters

When you have set up your bulleted or numbered list elements, you can toggle between the list character options using the drop-down arrow icon just to the left of the bullet list icon on the lower toolbar of the document template editor.

When you click on this icon, you are prompted to select between a single-level list format and a multiple-level list format. When you select one of these options, you then make a further selection between: